Releasable combination socket



Nov. 10, 1925- E. H. HUNT REL EASABLE COMBINATION SOCKET Filed Dec. 2, 1922 INVENTOR:

EL/J'AH H. Hu

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Patented Nov. 10, 1925.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE.

ELIJ'AH n. HUNT, or MONTEBELLO, CALIFORNIA.

RELEASABLE COMBINATION SOCKET.

Application filed December 2, 1922. Serial No. 604,571.

To all whom it may concern:

Be, it known that I, ELIJAHH. HUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montebello, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Releasable Combination Sockets, of which the following is'a specification.

This invention relates to, devices used for recovering tubings, casings, tools, and other articles from deep wells.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a combination socket that may be either engaged or disengaged by a turning or rotating of the device.

Another object is to provide friction means to engage with the article to be recovered in connection with a threaded sleeve for actuating theengaging jaws.

Another object is to provide a threaded sleeve in connection with expanding jaws operative by friction means. 4,

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal midsectional view of a combination socket, embodying the invention, theillustrated device being of the type commonly used for engaging over articles to be recovered, forming one device in combination with which the invention may be applied.

Fig. 2 is a cross section on line 22 of Fi 1.

I ig. 3 is a fra entary longitudinal midsectional view 0 the actuating ring.

In drilling and developing deep wells,

joints of easing, tubing, or tools are fre quently lost in the wells, by breaking or disen aging.

o-called fishing tools are used for recovering the lost articles. Oneparticular fish- .ing tool is commonly known'as a combination socket, made in difl'erent forms, each of the various forms being of very general usefulness. The illustrated device is of. a

form that will easily sli over the end of a lost joint in a well, an then engage and gri the lostarticle to be lifted out of the j wel Other tools are of a form to engage inside of a tubing or casing, and are provided with similar engaging means for obtaining a firm hold on the inner walls of such tubing or casing, to allow a lifting.

The tubular body 3 of the illustrated form is provided with a threaded portion 4 and with a taper portion 5. A threaded sleeve '6 is turnably mounted or disposedwithin the body 3. Spring members 7 are provided on the sleeve 6, for frictionally engaging over a lost article. Spring members 7 are shown as secured at their ends to the sleeve 6, as indicated at 17. Of course, the springs may be secured at one end or both ends, such slight modifications being of little importance as long as curved portions of the spring may engage over an article lost in a well." It is also of little importance whether such a securing is accomplished by riveting, screwing, or weld-- screw or move in a desired direction longitudinally to the body 3.

Zig-zag threads have been indicated inthe drawin but it must, of course, be understood t at any other type of threads may be used, es ecially between the tubular body 3 and the s eeve 6, where square threads will, under heavy duty work, that is with largesized devices, be very much pref a threaded joint.

One end of the threaded sleeve is designed to engage with the clamping or engaging jaws of the device.

A'ring 8 is inserted between the enga g end 9 and the jaws 10, to make the w ole tool more pliab e or yieldable, but this ring may easily be omitted, as will easily be understood from the following description.

The outside of the jaws is designed to en'- gage with the taper bore 5 of the body 3, as indicated at 11. q v

In screwing the threaded sleeve 6. in the directiontowards'the taper bore 5, the jaws are compressed for the purpose of enga ing the article over which the device has con disposed. Such an engagement between taper surfaces may become so firm that the erable, since zig-zag threads or any ta er threads nor- -mally tend to cause some inding effect in jaws cannot be rotated within the body 3. Since the threaded sleeve 6 must be rotated to operate, the engagement between the of the jaw members, the upper edges or ends of the jaws are provided with extension ends 12 to engage with cooperating engaging cutouts 13 in the ring 8. j

For extensive radial movements, the hookengagement 12--13 is absolutely necessary, as, where the device is to be used for varying sizes. In such a case, the ring 8 is preferably inserted.

More commonly, however, and especially when a drill pipe is lost within a proportionally small casing, the space between the easin and the drill pipe is limited, and the fishing tool must of necessity be. of thin or light material, withvery little radial movement required for the clamping jaws. In such a case, the hook-engagement, indicated at 14, is fully suflicient for the rotating aswell for the radial movement between the threaded sleeve 6 and the jaws 10. 'A.direct engagement between the threaded sleeve 6 and the jaws is then preferable over the form with the ring 8 inserted.

After the threaded sleeve 6 screwed down, to bring the jaws 10 in 'engagement with a drill pipe, a lifting is' usually or normally attempted.

On lifting the lost drill pipe, the jaws 10 are liable to slip to some extent beforethe jaws firmly grip and set, and the jaws have the tendency to slip in the taper bore until the teeth of the jaws become set in the material of the drill pipe. Since the threaded sleeve 6 normally cannot give, the necessary yielding is allowed by spacingthe hook-engagement as indicated at 15.

The enga ing ring 8 is preferably made in sections so t at the ring may easily be hooked over the outside of the threaded sleeve 6; if four aws are provided in a. tool of this type, the ring 8 is naturally made in four sections.

Springs 16 are preferably disposed between the several jaws, as indicated in Fig. 2, to keep thejaws normally spaced and in a position to easily slip over lost articles, so

that engagement is only established by the operation of the threaded sleeve 6. The engagement between the sleeve 6 an the rim .8 is in form of oppositely facing annular s ioulders, the end 9 of the sleeve 6 being in form of an outwardly projecting annular shoulder member, and the end 14 of the ring 8 being in form of aninwardly projecting annular shoulder member, so that the sleeve 6 may .be rotated within the .ring

8. The ring-Sis, of course, made in sections has been in order to allow a placing of the ring over the annular shouldered hook-end 9 of the sleeve 6.

When the device is disposed over a lost article in a deep well, the. springs 7 are intended to engage first, so as to cause a rotating or screwing of the sleeve 6 within the body 3, as soon as the body is'rotated, the springs 7 with the sleeve 6 naturally remaining stationarywith the engaged lost article in the well.

By such a screwingmovement of the sleeve 6, the ring 8 with the jaws 10 are caused" to move downwardly within the taper portion 5 of the body 3.

As soon as the jaws come in touch with the lost article, a turning of the body is retarded, since the jaws thenshow a tendency of remaining stationary with the lost article. This can easily be detected.

A short and quick upward pull of the body is then normally sufficient-to engage the jaws fully with the lost article, the .jaws being able to slip to some extent downwardly within-the taper portion 5 of the body by reason of the play or space indicated at 15 and re ferred to above.

In case the lost article cannot be recovered fromthe well, so that an unscrewing of the device from the lost article becomes necessary, the body can easily be jarred downwardly to a suitable extent to free the jaws again in a similar manner as they were finally engaged with the lost article. On being jarred loose to such an extent the springs 7 are still engaged enough with the lost article to make an unscrewing and clear disengagin of the device from the lost article possib e.

Having thus' described my invention, '1 claim;

1. In a combination socket, a body member, a threaded sleeve turnably engaged with the bodymember, and 'aw members having means to engage with t e threaded sleeve.

2. In a combination socket, a body memher, a threaded sleeve turnably engaged withthe body member having friction means adapted to engage with an article to be recovered by the de'vice'for rotating the sleeve in relation to the body member, and jaw members having means to engage with the threaded sleeve.

' 3. In a combination socket, a body member, a threaded sleeve turnably engaged with the body member having friction means adapted. to engage with an article to be recovered by the device for rotating the sleeve in relation to the body member and having engaging means for cooperating jaw members, and Law. members having means to engage wit the threaded sleeve for radial and rotatingmovements.

' 4. In a combinationsocket, a body memher having a threaded portion and having a taper portion, a threaded sleeve turnably engaged within the threaded portion of the body, and jaw members having corresponding taper portion to slidably engage with the taper portion of the body member and having means to engage with the threaded sleeve to be operative by the sleeve. 5. In a combination socket, a body member having a threaded portion and having a taper portion, a threaded sleeve turnably engaged within the thread portion of the body, and jaw members having corresponding taper portions to slidingly engage with the taper portion of the body member and having means to engage with the threaded sleeve for radial and rotating movements.

6. In a combination socket, a body member having a threaded portion and having a taper portion, a threaded sleeve turnably en gaged with the threaded portion of the body member,1a ring member .turnably engaged with the sleeve, and jaw members engaged with thering member for radial movements. 7. In a combination socket, a tubular body having a threaded bore in one portion and having a taper bore in another portion, a threaded sleeve turnable within the thread ed bore of the body, friction members on the sleeve, a ring member turnably engaged with the sleeve, and jaw members engaged with the ring member for radial movements.

8. In a combination socket, a tubular body having a threaded portion and a taper portion within its bore, a threaded sleeve turnable within the threaded portion of the body, friction members on the sleeve for actuating the sleeve, a ring member turnably engaged with the sleeve, jaw members engaged with the ring member for radial movements, and springs disposed between the jaw members 'for normally keeping the jaw members in inoperative position.

9. In a combinationsocket, a tubular body having a threaded portion and a taper portion within its bore, a threaded sleeve turnable within the threaded portion of the body, jaw members disposed within the taper portion of the body movable in longitudinal and rotary direction in relation to the body, a ring member disposed between the threaded sleeve and the jaw member having means for operatively connecting the threaded member and the jaws, and means for hold ing the jaws in inoperative position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name.

ELIJAH H. HUNT. 

